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Obituary
George I. Zahalak, 63; senior prof. of mechanical engineering By Andy Clendennen George I. Zahalak, Eng. Sc.D., senior professor of mechanical engineering, died Friday, Nov. 1, 2002, of complications from cancer at his home in Clayton. He was 63. Zahalak spent many years conducting research that could someday assist bioengineers in developing artificial tissues and help doctors better understand diseases such as Parkinson's. "Professor Zahalak's research was leading-edge in terms of how muscles behaved and it could lead to help many people who had muscle disorders," said David A. Peters, Ph.D., the McDonnell Douglas Professor of Engineering and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "He was a great professor in our department, he stood for excellence in academics, research and every area in which we were involved, and we will miss him." Zahalak joined the faculty of the School of Engineering & Applied Science in 1976 after serving as assistant professor at Brown University. In 1982, Zahalak was named professor of mechanical engineering. "As I got to know him better, there were a number of characteristics that impressed me about George," said Salvatore P. Sutera, Ph.D., the Spencer T. Olin Professor, professor of biomedical engineering and chair of mechanical engineering at the time of Zahalak's hiring. "He had a reserved but very scholarly demeanor, but was highly sophisticated in nonscientific areas like art, music, languages, international affairs and haute cuisine. "He possessed outstanding intellectual strength in continuum mechanics and applied mathematics, and on top of that had extraordinary ability in ‘nuts and bolts' mechanical engineering. As a teacher, he was very versatile and could teach any subject in the mechanics sequence from freshman statics to doctoral-level continuum mechanics. Most of all, he was sincerely and totally committed to the professorial life." A fundamental equation in the molecular theory of muscle contraction was named for Zahalak in 2000. The Huxley-Zahalak Equation, also named for Sir Andrew Fielding Huxley, models quantitatively the interaction between the proteins actin and myosin. This interaction is the basis for the mechanical work of skeletal muscle and other tissues. A memorial service was held Nov. 8 at Graham Chapel. Survivors include his wife of almost 41 years, Marta Laszkewycz Zahalak, of Clayton; a daughter, Tatyana Zahalak, and a son, Julian Zahalak, both of Washington, D.C. Memorial contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 77 West Port Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63146. |
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